Those Who Can't Forget
by Shiori Tachibana
Summary: A sunny day turned into a battlefield! Kenshin and Sanosuke are up against a girl on a mission: Kill Hitokiri Battousai. And the way things are going, she just might. But why Kenshin? And what is her connection with Sano?


**Those Who Can't Forget **Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any character from said ani-manga. Please, all credit goes to Nobuhiro Watsuki-sama. Thank you and happy reading!

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**Vocabulary and terminology:**

**Rurouni**- This isn't an actual Japanese word! Watsuki-sama simply added "Ruro" and "uni" together. These combined would make "Wandering man". Watsuki-sama explained this in the Japanese publication of the manga; I'm not sure about the translated. Basically, a samurai without a master.

**Hitokiri**- literally means "person slayer".

**Battousai**- This word is basically derived from a fighting style called **Battoujutsu**. Battoujutsu sword-fighting is centered on drawing the sword from the sheath and killing in that same stroke. Because Kenshin has a lot of Battoujutsu centered attacks, he became known as the Battousai.

**Yukata**- For now, we'll just say it's a light-weight, cotton kimono. I'm using it as sleeping attire.

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Dark clouds floated in the early morning sky, thunder clapping in the heavens, threatening rain. The dojo sat surrounded by trees and rural land, dark and silent. Kenshin woke to the loud, persistent, grumbling noises the sky offered. He sat upright in his futon and sleepily looked out his window. Kenshin always woke early, it was habit. When he was a hitokiri fighting to stay alive, alertness was key, and sleep was the least of concerns. He stood on the tatami floors, cold from lack of light and the early fall air, folded his futon and sat it neatly in the corner. Kenshin slipped out of his yukata and began to put on his kimono. Tying his belt and picking up his sword, he exited the room as the rain began to fall. Looking up at the sky he smiled faintly, his eyes glistening like the fallen water. These were his favorite days, often sad and memory filled, yet at the end he felt pure and cleansed as only the untouched rain could make him. 'Kaoru and the others won't wake for quite some time, so I'll walk a while.' Kenshin thought to himself and silently left the dojo through the back gate and onto the open forest trails.

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Birds chirped unhappily in the treetops, cold and wet in the open air; Kenshin never could sympathize. He slowly walked the muddy dirt path, his body heavy with the weight of his soaked clothes. After an hour of heavy rainfall the clouds eased their relentless beating and left a comfortable drizzle to fall toward the slippery earth. Kenshin sat on a low hanging branch of a tall oak tree, his back resting against the trunk, one leg resting close to his chest, the other hanging lazily. He let his sakabatou rest on his chest and turned his head toward the sky. He watched with emotionless eyes as different shades of autumn weathered leaves floated toward the floor all around him, blown by the wind and plummeting toward the ground, dripping with water. 'Comfortable.' He thought to himself and closed his eyes. Tired, he was actually tired. Sleep never plagued him, but he welcomed rest on the few comforting days he was offered. His vision fell black and he let his mind at ease.

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"Hey, Kenshin!" called Sano from the forest floor. "Wake up! Its noon damnit, are you planning on sleeping all day!" Sano asked and smirked when Kenshin lazily opened his eyes. The sky was still dark but the rain had not returned to a hammering storm. "Oro? I must have fallen asleep…" he said, letting his innocent demeanor shine. Kenshin stretched his arms and yelped when he lost his balance. He hung onto the branch upside down, clinging to the branch like a child being threatened with a bath, eyes wide. Sano went into a fit of laughter. "Yeah, well its lunch time. You're gonna catch a cold sleeping out in the rain like that Kenshin." he informed after he regained his composure and pocketed his hands as Kenshin jumped and landed with a swordsman's grace in front of him. 

"I slept until lunch? I'm surprised. I hope I didn't worry Miss Kaoru, that I do." He said as they began walking back. "You know Kaoru; it's in her nature to worry." He returned. Both laughed. "Hey Sano, how did you know where to look for me?" Kenshin asked, curiously looking toward Sano with questioning eyes. "I was just out for a walk myself. I got tired of Kaoru asking questions about where you were." Kenshin sweat-dropped and laughed awkwardly.

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"Kennshiiinn!" Kaoru called out happily from the stairs she'd been waiting on. She ran toward Kenshin and wrapped him in an energetic hug. "Where were you? You never leave like that! I thought you might have gone off wondering again, or someone threatened you or…" "Now now Miss Kaoru, I just went for a walk." He said as he held the sniffling girl in his arms. "Ahem!" Sano interrupted with a sly smile that sent a hand to Kenshin's chest and a blush to her cheeks. "Leave it to Kaoru to come up with a worse-case scenario…" Sano said sarcastically and received a glare from Kaoru. "Anyway, you really should leave a note or something next time." she said in her flustered state. Kenshin gaped at her with a dumbstruck look. He stood and brushed off his wet, dirty pants. "Where's Yahiko?" he asked, looking around. "Yeah, that punk was here just a while ago." Sano confirmed and scoured the area. "He left after you to train by the river." Kaoru informed and walked inside to get her training swords. 

"I see. Well I'm actually thinking about going back out now." Kenshin said and waited for a reaction. "That's fine; I have lessons to give anyway. Be back before dinner, I was thinking we'd go to Tai's place for a beef pot." She said and came out, loaded down with her supplies. "Hey Kenshin, mind if I tag along?" Sano broke in and looked at the tiny man to his left, hardly appearing to be a legendary killer. "Not at all." He said and turned to leave. "Wait, without lunch?" he asked. Kenshin face-faulted.

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Kenshin stayed to eat with Sano who greedily chowed down on rice and grilled fish he'd made Kenshin cook. After they'd eaten their fill in silence, it was time to go. "So Kenshin, why exactly do you go out on rainy days? This isn't the first time you know, I have noticed." Sano asked, finally deciding to get to the bottom of what he was up to. "I bet you go to see some hot chick and use rain as a means of escaping from the missy." He mocked and laughed when Kenshin frantically denied the accusations. "I just like it when it rains. I feel like my spirit is cleansed and I just feel better." he admitted and grabbed onto a branch, swinging onto its sturdy frame and sitting. Sano followed suit on a branch opposite Kenshin's. "Can't you just be somewhat normal and purify yourself under a waterfall?" he asked, sarcasm layered on thick. "I could, but only the untouched rain…" Kenshin stopped and frantically looked around as if he was looking for something unseen. Sano didn't pick up on it as quickly, but he was able to determine that they weren't alone.

Kunai knives pierced through the air with a whizzing sound in Kenshin's direction. He immediately jumped to the ground below to dodge the sharp weapons. After a safe landing, he put a hand to the hilt of his sword and looked into the trees. Sano followed his eyes in the direction from which the knives had come. Someone stood defiantly in the highest branches of a cherry tree, face and frame obscured by a long black cloak, kunai knives held like cats claws between their fingers. "Battousai, Strongest of the Imperialists. Not the grace of which I was expecting, but you dodged as I assumed you would." Said a feminine voice mockingly, her silky voice echoing as thunder groaned in the sky. "Hey, just who the hell are you?" Sano asked, angry at the attack as he jumped down to join Kenshin. "That doesn't concern you, little man" she called coldly. "You on the other hand," she said, turning her head toward Kenshin, "I'll be back for you, Hitokiri." With that she jumped into the other treetop branches toward town. Kenshin and Sano ran after her.

"Where'd she get to?" Sano asked breathlessly, and looked around, back to back with Kenshin. "She got away." he said and took his hand away from his sword. "Damn, she's fast." He yelled, frustrated by the girl's snide remarks. "Sano, we better not tell Miss Kaoru about this, I don't want to worry her." he decided and Sano gave him a nod of understanding. "Let's get back. It's getting late." And with that, the two left the forest, with a few concerns weighing heavily on their minds.

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AN. So? Whatcha think? This story was actually quite different when I first posted it but I lost the original in acrash and just started from scratch. I realize this is a very short chapter, but I wanted to build the suspense. Feel free to flame, give constrictive criticism or compliments! Any feed-back to help my writing is appreciated and welcome. Thanks! Until next time! 


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